Well the plan was made, the checkpoints and mileage verified, all good. The bike was serviced, I was ready, (so I thought).
The journey started at 23:00hrs, my idea was that I had caught up on sleep as I was on day off (my birthday), the plan being I will get the motorway miles done when it's quiet, decent average speed and fairly safe from any animal obstacles that tend to come out on country roads at these hours.
Oh boy the plan did not go according to plan....
Set off OK, on route round the M25 big notice saying the A1 north was no shut up to Sandy, great my route!
Also the 2nd check point was a 24hr garage, idea to confirm the route taken to get across to the A1, needed a receipt... the 24hr garage was closed for 30 mins !!!! right when I turn up, other drives also having to wait too.
Ok not the end of the world just a bit of time lost. Diversion round the A1 closure meant getting on the M1 north to Leicester to go on the A46 to get to 3rd check point at Newark and fuel. OK a few extra miles but shouldn't be a problem....
Highways had other ideas, so many lane closures and 40mph speed limits, unbelievable, so Newark stop I was 1.5 hours late, and the slow pace was taking it's toll, feeling tired.
So next checkpoint was Gateshead for petrol stop. Goddam A1 had some lane closures too, 40 and 50mph restrictions, stopped at Wetherby for a comfort break, slow going so far and it was taking it's toll.
Got to Scotch corner junction at 06:30am (if I had been on schedule I would have been at the 5th check point, Berwick corner) and now I am tired. Had to make the awful decision that I am not going to catch up as I am too tired, so after nearly 8 hours riding (it felt more like crawling not riding), I found some digs at a pub 20 mins from Scotch Corner, they let me check in straight away and got some sleep. (Fantastic of the owners to let me check in so early, normal check is was 3pm, I would have been asleep on their doorstep
).
So lesson learned all good plans can fail, and don't trust the motorways to be the fastest routes on a Friday night / Saturday morning!
On a happier note I had a great Saturday afternoon riding some fantastic roads around Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Spennymoor, Consett, super twisty roads and in good nick too, not like our roads around Hampshire!
Had a great night at the pub, and then Sunday a nice ride home back to Hampshire avoiding all the motorways on some lovely twisty A and B roads.
So all was not in vane and will do this route again, but not set off at 23:00hrs and definitely not a Friday, may be better to do it in reverse and head over to Taunton and then up the country to Glasgow/Perth and Dundee, back to Berwick corner and down the A1 to Hatfield and then across to St Albans and the M25/M3.
I will get it done.
The journey started at 23:00hrs, my idea was that I had caught up on sleep as I was on day off (my birthday), the plan being I will get the motorway miles done when it's quiet, decent average speed and fairly safe from any animal obstacles that tend to come out on country roads at these hours.
Oh boy the plan did not go according to plan....
Set off OK, on route round the M25 big notice saying the A1 north was no shut up to Sandy, great my route!
Also the 2nd check point was a 24hr garage, idea to confirm the route taken to get across to the A1, needed a receipt... the 24hr garage was closed for 30 mins !!!! right when I turn up, other drives also having to wait too.
Ok not the end of the world just a bit of time lost. Diversion round the A1 closure meant getting on the M1 north to Leicester to go on the A46 to get to 3rd check point at Newark and fuel. OK a few extra miles but shouldn't be a problem....
Highways had other ideas, so many lane closures and 40mph speed limits, unbelievable, so Newark stop I was 1.5 hours late, and the slow pace was taking it's toll, feeling tired.
So next checkpoint was Gateshead for petrol stop. Goddam A1 had some lane closures too, 40 and 50mph restrictions, stopped at Wetherby for a comfort break, slow going so far and it was taking it's toll.
Got to Scotch corner junction at 06:30am (if I had been on schedule I would have been at the 5th check point, Berwick corner) and now I am tired. Had to make the awful decision that I am not going to catch up as I am too tired, so after nearly 8 hours riding (it felt more like crawling not riding), I found some digs at a pub 20 mins from Scotch Corner, they let me check in straight away and got some sleep. (Fantastic of the owners to let me check in so early, normal check is was 3pm, I would have been asleep on their doorstep
).So lesson learned all good plans can fail, and don't trust the motorways to be the fastest routes on a Friday night / Saturday morning!
On a happier note I had a great Saturday afternoon riding some fantastic roads around Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Spennymoor, Consett, super twisty roads and in good nick too, not like our roads around Hampshire!
Had a great night at the pub, and then Sunday a nice ride home back to Hampshire avoiding all the motorways on some lovely twisty A and B roads.
So all was not in vane and will do this route again, but not set off at 23:00hrs and definitely not a Friday, may be better to do it in reverse and head over to Taunton and then up the country to Glasgow/Perth and Dundee, back to Berwick corner and down the A1 to Hatfield and then across to St Albans and the M25/M3.
I will get it done.
